


The Cliches of Vigilantism

by vocallywritten



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: AU with elements of the movie mixed in there somewhere, F/M, Still a Cop Judy Hopps, Vigilante Nick
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-07-15 15:37:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7228477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vocallywritten/pseuds/vocallywritten
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Judy Hopps is finally given a real case.  Mostly because Bogo is pretty sure that she'll never solve it.  A masked mammal is dealing out vigilante justice around Zootopia, and no one has managed to catch him yet.</p><p>Though with a name like the Red Phantom, maybe he's just too ashamed to be found out.</p><p>A story made up of drabbles in which Judy and Nick meet under very different circumstances, but the outcome is much the same.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The one where the cop gets a new assignment

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Come Hell or High Water](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6607405) by [mizufallsfromkumo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mizufallsfromkumo/pseuds/mizufallsfromkumo). 



> So this fic was heavily inspired by a wonderful (but far too short for me) fic called Come Hell or High Water by a much more talented writer than I, mizufallsfromkumo. I would definitely recommend checking it out.
> 
> It's an Arrow AU and I loved the idea of that so much, I made this thing.
> 
> But seeing as how I've never watched Arrow and I don't want to just steal all mizufallsfromkumo's ideas, I changed quite a bit, and opted to go for a more generalized vigilante instead of one specific to any established super hero.
> 
> Mizufallsfromkumo, I love your work. Here's to you.

_ The one where the cop gets a new assignment _

 

It had been a difficult day for one Officer Judy Hopps of the Zootopia Police Department, and if the way Chief Bogo was glaring at her told her anything, she figured it wasn't about to get any better.

“If this is about my quota, sir,” Judy said, rubbing at a sore spot on her neck. “I can assure you I’ve more than met it.”

The chief gave her a strange, but still characteristically irritable look. “It’s barely after twelve, Hopps.”  Then he shook his head, and glared at her, his hoof coming up to land heavily on a file.  Judy’s gaze settled on it, her exhaustion nearly forgotten as curiosity took its place.  The file was almost violently shoved toward the rabbit, and her nose twitched a bit in response. “The mayor,” Bogo began, sounding very much like someone about to deliver the worst kind of news.  Judy’s foot began to twitch, like her body was ready to run, or maybe kick something.  For a horrifying moment, Judy thought Bogo might say the mayor had decided he had been wrong about her, and wanted to send her back to Bunny Burrow, or something equally ridiculous, until the chief continued.  “Has decided that your talents ought to be spent on something a little more important than parking duty.”  His tone of voice told Judy just what he thought of  _ that _ , though Judy couldn't really blame him.  Having the mayor interfere like this was probably the last thing Bogo wanted to deal with.

“Sir?” Judy asked, staring at the file in front of her.

Bog rolled his eyes. “You're being reassigned, Hopps.” He snapped.  “Just be thankful you have friends in high places and get out of my office.”

Judy flushed.  This wasn't how she imagined getting her first real assignment.  She’d imagined Bogo looking at her with respect as he told her that she had earned a shot at proving herself to be a real cop.  She’d imagined slowly, gruellingly working her way toward the top, so no one could say she didn't belong there.  “But, sir,” she protested, still staring at the case file. “If you don't think I’ve earned-”

“What I think doesn't matter in this case,” the buffalo interrupted, a dangerous glint in his eye. “The mayor wants you off meter maid duty, you're off meter maid duty.” He gave Judy a hard look. “For now.”

Judy swallowed, and nodded solemnly, taking the case file off of Bogo’s desk. “Right.” She said, faintly.  “Of course, Chief. I’ll get right on it.”

Bogo only grunted as Judy made her way toward the door.  But with it safely shut behind her, Judy clutched the file to her chest and let out a little squeal.  Her first real case.

She was going to knock this out of the park.

\------------------------------------

Except, no, she wasn't.  Judy groaned as she read over the details for the tenth time.  A vigilante.  They had tasked her with the biggest wild goose chase to ever be goose chased.

Oh cheese and crackers, this was ridiculous!

Judy flipped through the many, many, many reported sightings of a masked mammal traipsing along the streets of Zootopia after dark.  The media called him the Red Phantom, though Judy couldn't see how anyone would be taken seriously with a name like that.

“Judy!” Clawhauser called, and the rabbit nearly jumped out of her fur.

“Cheese and crackers, Clawhauser,” she breathed, paw against her heart. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

The cheetah managed a look that was both repentant and gleeful. “Really?”  At her glare, Clawhauser looked down, shame faced. “I mean, sorry Judy.”

“It’s alright." Judy sighed. "I guess I’m just a bit caught up with this Red Phantom case.”

Clawhauser winced in sympathy. “Oh,” he said, drawing the sound out. “Is that the case Bogo stuck you with? I heard you got off parking duty, so I came to congratulate you, but if Bogo’s got you on that case…” he trailed off, looking at her with pity.

“It’s probably not because he thinks I can solve it.” She guessed, sinking back into her chair.

“But hey,” Clawhauser rushed to reassure her. “If anyone can do it, it’s probably you, right?”  His words were sincere sounding, but his smile was a little too big to not be forced.

“Right,” Judy muttered.  She sighed, then, with more enthusiasm than she felt, she repeated herself. “Right! I can do this.  I can totally do this.”

“That’s the spirit.” The cheetah cheered, clasping his hands together.  “I know you'll crack this one right open.”

Judy grinned.  “I can sure try.”

Four hours and three cups of coffee later, Judy had narrowed her search down to a page full of possible  _ helpful _ eyewitnesses, and just enough time to interview the first few on her list before dark.

She was going to crack this case wide open.

She hoped.


	2. The one where the girl meets the “hero”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Judy has a not so great day, Nick owns a night club (because I couldn't resist), and actual medically accurate depictions are cheerfully destroyed by Hollywood science for plot related reasons.

_ The one where the girl meets the “hero” _

 

The first two witnesses turned out to be a bust.  They hadn’t seen anything of value, instead, giving her conflicting descriptions of the Phantom.  He was a head taller than Judy herself, he was a head shorter than Judy, they thought his fur was red, but maybe it could have been grey.  He was wolf-like in shape, or maybe something more like an otter? Judy took careful notes of both interviews, but comparing them side by side, they were about as much help as manure in a kitchen.  Nothing about this masked mammal was making any sense so far.

Her third witness was someone called Nick Wilde, owner of the pred exclusive nightclub, Wild Times.  Wilde himself hadn't reported a sighting of the Phantom, but multiple eye witnesses saw the vigilante go into the club after hours on more than one occasion.  If anything, it was worth taking a look at.

The club, it seemed, didn't open until after dark, because the place looked entirely deserted save for a few cars in the parking lot in employee spots.  Judy knocked on the front door, a glass monstrosity that towered over her by at least twenty feet.

“Hello?” She called. “ZPD.  I’m here to ask you a few questions.”  She tried peering through the warped glass to see if anyone was coming.  Nothing.  No movement.  Judy sighed. “Hello?” She called, the tried the door.  To her great surprise, it swung open without resistance. “Hello?” She tried again, stepping through the threshold. “Judy Hopps, ZPD.  Your door was unlocked, which is incredibly dangerous, by the way.

A flash of movement caught her eye and she spun toward it, paw flying to her stun gun holster. “This is an officer of the ZPD telling you to announce yourself.” Judy’s academy training kicked in without any conscious thought on her part. “I am armed.”

A dark chuckle rippled from the darkness.  “Little bunny.”  A huge timber wolf stepped out of the shadows, his grin large and dripping with hunger. “We don't get a lot of little bunnies around here.”  His gaze trailed across her whole body, squirming across her like a living thing.  Judy grit her teeth and tried not to shudder.

“Sir, I’m with the  _ ZPD _ and I’m here to ask one Nicholas Wilde a few questions. So if you could tell me how to find him, I’ll be out of your fur.” Judy crossed her arms, trying to look as intimidating as she could. “Please.” She added insincerely.

The wolf only stepped closer, taking a deep breath through his nose as he bent down to take the bunny in. “You smell like prey.” He breathed, taking malicious delight in how Judy stiffened.

“Alright,” Judy huffed. “That’s it, you can either tell me where I can find Mr. Wilde, or I can take you downtown for impeding my investigation.” Hands on hips, she glared up at the predator.  “So, what’ll it be?”

The wolf snorted. “A little bunny taking me downtown?”  His grin turned dangerous. “I’d like to see you try.”

Judy took a breath, steeling herself for her next move.

“Larry, there you are.” A smooth voice interrupted. “You were supposed to be helping us with-” A smartly dressed fox came around the corner, then stopped when he saw Judy glaring up at the timber wolf, hand still on her stun gun.  “Well, well, well.” The fox said lightly, like this kind of scene greeted him every time he walked into a new room. “What’s going on here?”

Judy’s heart nearly stopped from the shock of seeing the fox, and her hand nearly went to her fox repellent instead.  She pulled herself back before she could touch it, berating herself all the while for such a silly instinctual reaction, but the fox’s eyes caught the movement, and landed on the small bottle at her hip.  Something in his face hardened ever so slightly, but he kept his smile pleasant.

“I’m here to ask Nicholas Wilde a few questions.” Judy said, proud to find that her voice didn't waver once. “Is he around?”

The fox smirked. “Call me Nick,” he said easily, though there was a slight edge to his voice. Judy felt like he might be mocking her, especially when his eyes looked deliberately over her uniform and he cocked a brow. “Officer.”

Judy blinked. “You’re Nick Wilde?”

The fox’s smirk grew. “The one and only.” He glanced at the wolf, Larry, who still hadn't left, and jerked his head toward the door. “Would you lock that thing before even more prey stumbles in?” Then he turned back to Judy with a charming smile. “Let’s talk in my office.”

Nick Wilde’s office was pretty much exactly what she expected it to be, cluttered in a way that suggested some kind of basic organization, and filled to near bursting with all kinds of trinkets and knick knacks be probably didn't need. “I’d say sorry about the mess,” he said, leaning against his desk. “But I’m not and I’d hate to lie to an officer of the law.”

Judy narrowed her eyes at him.  Could he really not handle being serious for a minute? “Mr. Wilde,” she began, but he cut her off with a snort.

“Nick, please.” He purred, staring at her straight on.  An intimidation tactic, Judy realized.  She met him stare for stare and raised her brow.

“Mr. Wilde,” she began again, more firmly. “Have you seen anyone suspicious in your club lately?  Anyone who might be acting odd?”

Nick snorted, rolling his eyes. “Listen Carrots,” he glanced at her sidelong. “Can I call you Carrots?”

“No.” Judy said, flatly.

“So listen Carrots,” he continued like he hadn't heard her. “I run a predator exclusive night club.  Everyone acts a little suspicious and out of the ordinary here.  And I can't name my entire customer base so the cops can come look into them,” he gave her a smile that was part winsome, part patronizing. “That would be bad for business.”

Judy folded her arms. “I’m not asking to harass your customers.” She said cooly. “I’m sure you're aware that there’s a masked vigilante at large, and several eyewitness accounts place him here on multiple occasions.”  She matched his patronizing tone. “All I’m asking, is if you've noticed anything unusual.”

Nick scoffed. “Your eyewitnesses might want to get their eyes  _ checked _ .  What kind of masked vigilante would come to a night club?”

"You haven't answered my question.”

Nick smirked, stepping closer to the officer.  He towered over her by at least a head, and his smirk widened into something self satisfied and almost… predatory.  “What? Have I seen a masked vigilante sneaking into my nightclub for a drink and some dancing? No, no I have not.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Any further questions, Officer?”

“Yes, actually.” Judy felt a small bit of pleasure at seeing his smile tighten at the edges.  She didn't really. Not if he was sticking with his story that he had never seen the Red Phantom in his club.  But if he was going to be difficult, she wasn't about to leave without inconveniencing him a little.

So she wasted his time for a good twenty minutes, asking things that didn't necessarily have anything to do with the case, but sounded official enough.  And to be fair, she might need to know some of these things. Just in case.

“I’ll be seeing you, Wilde.” She said on her way out.

“I doubt it.” Nick called back.

\--------------------

It took Judy about a week to make any real headway on the case.  She had begun staking out areas that the Red Phantom had a history of coming back to, with little success.  Two days into it, she had her first sighting of the masked mammal, but she had been too far away to actually try pursuing him.  That had not been a fun day.

But this? This was for  _ real _ .  Officer Hopps got dibs and was in pursuit real.  She had been staking out a shadier part of the Rainforest District for the past three nights before she finally saw him.

Or at least, she  _ thought _ she had.  So instead of calling for backup immediately, she followed him up to the roof to be absolutely sure.  Bogo hated false alarms, after all.

This turned out to be a bit of a mistake when it really was him.

“Freeze!”  She called, drawing her stun gun and pointing it at him.

The vigilante’s lips twitched when he caught sight of her.  “And who might you be?”  He asked, voice gravelly and unusually deep.

Judy kept her stun gun pointed at him, completely steady.  “I’m Officer Hopps of the ZPD, and  _ you _ are under arrest.”

It was hard to tell with the mask covering most of his face, but Judy thought he looked put out by her pronouncement.  “I’m afraid you’re wrong about that.”  He sighed, slowly backing away toward the ledge.

Judy raised her gun slightly higher, tracking his movements.  “Don’t move.”  She ordered, reaching for her radio.  “This is Officer Hopps requesting back up.  I-”

The Phantom sprung, lunging toward her and knocking her gun out of her paw.  Judy opened her mouth to yell for dispatch to get their tails in gear and inhaled a cloud of something sickly sweet that burned her nose.  Her eyes rolled back and her body crumpled all at once.  The fox gripped her arms, letting her body slump against him.

“ _ Hopps?  Hopps?” _  Her radio went off, and the fox rolled his eyes. “ _ Hopps what’s your 20? _ ”

He picked up her radio.  “Yeah, you’re not gonna need that backup she requested, but a few paramedics might be wise.  She just inhaled a pretty powerful  anaesthetic.”  He ignored the shouting coming from Hopp’s radio and continued. “She’ll be on the roof of the old car dealership off of Antelope and Birch in the Rainforest District.”

Nick lowered the rabbit gently to the ground, taking special care to lay her on her side.  He didn't want her to choke on her own vomit.  Even for someone who had tried to arrest him, that was a terrible way to die.

Then, he couldn't explain why he did it, he knew he had less than no time, seeing as how he had just announced over police radio where he was, but he took a moment to look at her.  It was reckless and didn't make any sense, but he did it anyway.  Maybe because that’s just the way Nick Wilde lived his life, or maybe there was something really, truly unsettling about this bunny.  Either way, he didn't think he had ever met someone who made him so off balance.  So he took a moment he didn't have on a roof he shouldn't be on to look at her, to just take a moment and take her in.

She looked softer when she slept, peaceful and innocent.  She lost the hard edges she forced on herself and seemed years younger for it.  Young, naive, optimistic.  She was a representation of everything he wasn't and he shouldn't want to see her again for obvious reasons.

But, God help him, he did.

He leaned down and trailed the very tip of one claw along her face, delicately, gently, and it was just one more stupid thing on an ever growing list of something he really shouldn't have done.  Oh well.

“I’ll be seeing you, Carrots.” He murmured, then disappeared into the night.


	3. The one where the cop gets in over her head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Judy gets into a sticky situation she probably wouldn't have gotten into if she weren't the predestined love interest of a superhero. But these things tend to happen when you need the plot to advance. ;p

_ The one where the cop gets in over her head _

 

Bogo had been upset with her for that night on the roof, but not for the reasons she thought he’d be. He had visited her in the hospital, a place she insisted she absolutely did not need to be in because she was  _ fine _ .  No one listened and she had been kept there an entire day after she had woken up.  It had been torture.

But Bogo had been surprisingly considerate.  “I’m glad you're alright, Hopps,” he had said, making Judy blink in surprise. “You’re actually a pretty decent officer.”  At her completely shocked look, Bogo continued, “you are.  You got more leads on this thing in one week than any of my other officers got in four months.”

Judy could hardly believe her ears.  She had thought for certain that she was in some kind of trouble.  “And seeing as how you’re such a decent cop,” Bogo continued. “How did you not call for backup  _ before _ you confronted an armed and dangerous suspect?”

Oh, nope.  There it was.

After all that, Judy should have known that following a suspect while she was off duty was a bad idea.  Really, they had taught her better than this at the academy.  She  _ knew better _ .  But the weasel had been right there, and no one else at the precinct seemed to be able to find him, and it was her civic duty to find out more, right?

Wrong.  Apparently.

So she was stuck, tied up in an abandoned  part of Zootopia’s underground, listening to a known drug lord discuss how best to deal with her over a phone call.  Because that was how Judy had always imagined going out of this world.

She breathed as slowly through her gag as she could, trying her best to ignore the sour, musty taste.  She had to think.

“Alright, alright, alright.” The weasel said into the phone.  “I have an idea.  Why don’t we test it on little Officer Fluffball, see how it affects her?”  Her captor’s eyes flicked to hers, an almost hungry look in his eyes.  Then he grinned, each sharp little tooth shining in the dim light.  “Yeah, I’m partial to the idea myself… right.... No, I’m not  _ stupid _ , of course it’ll be a lethal dose… eventually.  Well I would like to keep her around for a little while.  In the interest of science of course.”

Judy’s blood ran cold as she imagined what the weasel could be talking about.  A lethal dose?  Of  _ what _ ?

She had to get out of there now.

Thankfully, since she wasn't on duty, she didn't have any cuffs to be restrained with, so the weasel had used some kind of rope.  Unfortunately, he also must have been a ranger scout as a kid because these knots were tight.  Still, she worked her wrists from side to side, hoping to slip the ropes somehow, and if the rope bit and burned the skin beneath her fur while she did it, then that was something she was just going to have to deal with.

Her captor had hung up the phone and moved to a table with cheap lab equipment by the time Judy felt she had been making progress.  Blood welled at her wrists but she just kept moving.  She got herself into this mess, and by God, she’d get herself out of it.

There was a loud crash from somewhere in the tunnel, and both Judy and the weasel’s heads turned in fright at the noise.

The weasel narrowed his eyes at her like this was somehow her fault.  “I’ll be right back.” He said, then picked up a gun that was almost comically too big for him, but he carried it with a confidence that ruined the effect.

Judy didn't wait, she twisted in her bonds with a new vigor. Pain seared into the bones of her wrists, and she kept going.   Blood dripped on the ground but she barely registered it.  She was getting out of here if it was the last thing she did.

But she also really hoped it wasn't.

She kept an ear out for the weasel and the possible intruder.  With any luck, she’d be long gone before either of them got to her.

The sound of a gunshot, a grunt, and running told her she wasn't very lucky at all.

“Officer Hopps,” a voice said, and Judy’s head shot up.  “Why am I not surprised?”

The Red Phantom stood above her with a very self satisfied expression on the small amount of his face that Judy could see.

“You!”  Judy cried in disbelief and maybe just a little dismay.

If the vigilante was disappointed with her reaction, he never let on.  “Don't be like that, sweetheart.” He said smugly.  “I did just save your life.  I feel like that deserves at least a fair bit of groveling.”

Judy grit her teeth and tried to move away from him, but the adrenaline of the experience was wearing off, and she was starting to feel the pain in her wrists.  She hissed in pain when her movements made the rope dig deeper into her skin.

The fox’s smirk slipped from his face and he dropped to one knee, eyes searching for the cause of her discomfort. “What is it?”

Judy grunted. “My wrists.”

With more care than Judy thought he was capable of, the Phantom moved her to get a better look, and sucked in a pained sounding breath of his own.  He swore. “What happened?” He demanded.

“I was trying to escape.” Judy said, matter-of-factly.

“And how did that work out for you?”  The fox groused, taking out a knife from his wonderland of a utility belt.  Judy wondered for a moment if that (stupid) knock out gas was tucked in there somewhere.  Probably.

“It would have worked out fine if you hadn’t shown up.”  The rabbit said hotly.

The Phantom sighed.  “You know, I really don’t think you understand how this whole damsel in distress thing works.”

Judy’s face heated.  “I am  _ not _ a  _ damsel in distress _ .”

“Could have fooled me.”  He muttered in her ear.  “There.  All free.”

She wrenched her hands out of his barely there grip to examine the damage herself.  The skin of her wrists was bloody and burned from friction, her fur ripped out in a few places, but all in all, she had been expecting far worse.

“You should get that taken care of.”  The fox observed next to her, sounding just a little too casual.

Judy narrowed her eyes.  “Oh what do you care?”

He ignored her question, and calmly took out gauze and disinfectant from another pocket.  Taking her hands in his, her began to methodically treat her wrists.  

She wrinkled her nose. “Are you just made of pockets?” She asked, mainly for something to say.

He chuckled and shook his head.  “I just like to be prepared is all.”

Judy cracked a small smile at that.  “Were you a Ranger Scout or something?”  She was feeling a little lightheaded from the entire situation.  Here she was, joking with a masked fox in an abandoned subway tunnel as he tended to her injuries, instead of arresting the masked fox like she really should have been doing.

But how does one go about arresting the person who is helping you, and also has a history of knocking you out before you can call for backup.  While she was off duty.  Cheese and crackers, she’d just arrest him another day, this one had been too long already.

His smile dimmed at her question, though Judy couldn’t understand why.  “Not exactly.”  He replied, shortly.

Judy bit her lip.  “I really should try to arrest you.”  She blurted out, and nearly clapped her hand to her mouth for it.

He raised his eyes to meet hers.  “Will you?”

“I’m off duty.”  It’s all she could really think of to say.

The smirk was back in full force now, but there was something soft in the look now.  “Then maybe we should keep this little adventure to ourselves.”

“Maybe.” Judy agreed, nodding slowly.

And it’s reckless and stupid and makes absolutely  _ no sense _ , but she does.

She wears long sleeves to work for a few weeks and never mentions the incident to anyone.  Because while Judy Hopps did want to uphold the law, she was never known for her ability to play by anyone's rules.


	4. The one where the girl is a danger magnet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The universe seems determined to throw Judy into all kinds of trouble these days, but that doesn't mean she needs anyone to swoop in and save her all of the time.  
> Also Nick's a stalker.

_ The one where the girl is a danger magnet _

Judy seemed to have proven herself to Chief Bogo, because she starts getting more and more worthwhile assignments.  She was so busy sometimes that she nearly forgot all about the masked vigilante with the silly name.  Nearly.

He, on the other hand, seemed to be trying to make sure that Judy never forgot about his existence.  The Red Phantom had never been known for his subtlety when it came to apprehending criminals.  He preferred to handcuff them to damning evidence, or record them being caught in the act and expose them publicly.  And with his apparent fascination with Judy, she was suddenly receiving all of his "anonymous" tips to take said criminals into custody, which was... suspect if anyone was paying attention.  Fortunately for Judy, no one seemed all that inclined to pay her much attention.

But then the Phantom had to go and send a criminal to the ZPD in a package addressed to “Officer Judy Hopps,” an  _ actual criminal _ .  In a box.  Sent in the mail like a basket of blueberries.

Boy had Judy gotten an earful about that.

And on top of everything else in her crazier than normal life, Nick Wilde of all people had started showing up everywhere.  He was at the precinct about some polar bears causing trouble in his club, and he just “had to stop by and say hello.”  He was at her favorite restaurant, her local supermarket, and he just happened to be walking along her regular jogging route.

Finally, she got entirely fed up, and looked up his address a bit unethically, if she were being honest.  But she was pretty sure the courts would rule in her favor if Wilde pressed charges.  Which is ho Judy Hopps got to be standing outside of Nick Wilde's apartment, wondering vaguely how he could afford such a nice venue.  The building, unlike the club Nick owned, was in a very nice part of town, making Nick Wilde more of an enigma than he already was.

“Are you stalking me or something?”  She demanded the minute he opened his door.

“Carrots,” Nick nodded at her, surprisingly calm despite the greeting.  “Fancy seeing you here.”

Judy pointed a finger at him.  “You have been showing up everywhere I go for a week.”

Nick crossed his arms and leaned against the door, completely at ease.  “Yeah, it’s a small world.”

“Not that small.”

“Maybe I just have a thing for bunnies.”  He said with a slimy kind of grin.

Judy scoffed.  “That’s even less likely.”

Nick sighed, looking uncomfortable for the first time. “Would you believe me if I told you someone wanted me to check up on you?”

Judy felt her jaw drop.  “Who would ask  _ you _ to check up on  _ me _ ?”

“Someone who thinks you need another mammal watching out for you, if your record is anything to go by.”  He said, a strange mixture of humor and concern on his face.  “I hear you're a bit of a danger magnet.”

Judy’s eyes widened.  “Mr. Wilde.”  She said carefully.   “Are you saying that you are, in fact, in contact with the vigilante known as the Red Phantom?”

“Not at all, Officer Hopps.”  He replied smoothly.  “I’m only asking a hypothetical question.”

Judy made a disbelieving sound, and shook her head.  “Stop following me.”  She said, crossing arms.  “I can take care of myself.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it, Carrots.”  Nick called after her.  She didn’t bother responding.

\----------------------------------

Judy wasn’t sure what was going on with her life.  She knew a normal police officer’s life could get dangerous, but the life or death trouble she seemed to find herself in was coming at her too frequently to not be part of some grand conspiracy. 

Because really, only someone with her kind of luck would get mugged on top of everything else. 

“Well, well, what do we have here?” A moose chortled, slamming her against the wall of an alley.  Judy blinked several times to clear the stars from her vision and immediately slammed her foot into her attacker’s underbelly.  Even with all her strength, it wasn't enough to incapacitate him, but it did make him release her out of surprise at having the wind kicked out of him.  Judy dropped to the ground and her hand went to the stun gun she had taken to carrying with her everywhere after the weasel incident.

The moose made another grab for her, but she was prepared this time, and fired her stun gun.  He went down with a thump so fast it blew back Judy’s fur.

She reached into her pocket for handcuffs, because she had learned you could never be too careful in this city and cuffed her would be attacker to a pipe in the alley.

A slow clap nearly caused her to jump out of her skin.  “Nicely done, Officer Hopps.”

Judy whirled around.  “You’re lucky I have only one pair of cuffs, or I’d try taking you in as well.”  There was no heat to the words.

The fox grinned behind his mask.  “Sure you would.”

Judy eyed the vigilante carefully.  “Why did you ask Nick Wilde to follow me?”

He sighed like he had been anticipating the question. “I’m sorry.”  He said, much to her surprise. “It was stupid, but I wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“By asking someone to stalk me?”

“Uh… yes.”  He said, rubbing his neck awkwardly, looking away from her.

“Why do you care?’  Judy asked, a genuine curiosity in her voice.  Because clearly, she didn't know how to get any of her priorities straight.

The fox shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, looking almost… bashful.  He coughed. “Well, maybe I just have a thing for bunnies."

Judy’s eyes shot up to try to meet his, but he was looking away.  Suspicion she wasn't entirely aware she had, niggled a little bit more at the back of her mind.  Before she could figure out how to voice any of her suspicions, the fox looked back over to her with a sight smile.

“I’m afraid this meeting wasn't an accident.  I was looking for you.”  He said with an edge to his voice she couldn't really understand.  She furrowed her brow, giving him an odd look that spoke of her confusion.  Nothing this fox did seemed to make any sense."

“Me?” Judy’s nose twitched. “Why?”

“I need a favor.”

Judy rolled her eyes. “Of course you do.” Placing her paws on her hips, she stared up at him, defiant, and maybe just a little amused. “You do realize I’m meant to arrest you, right?”

He only grinned.  “Well you haven't done it yet.  Must be because of my charm and good looks.”  He smoothed back the fur on his head and struck a sort of pose. Judy snorted.

“Or maybe it’s because you knocked me out the first time and saved my life the second.”  She smirked, suddenly feeling bold.  “You really know how to send a bunny mixed signals.”

It was hard to tell in the dark when he had a mask on, but Judy could have sworn she saw him blush.  “Right, well, uh.  I was hoping you get the results of a necropsy for me.”

Her eyebrows rose.  “Can't you sneak in and just… I don't know, steal them or something?”

“Why Officer Hoops,” he said, sounding teasingly scandalized.  “Are you encouraging my life of crime?”

It was Judy’s turn to blush. “No, of course not.  But you’ve never seemed to have a problem with breaking the law before.” She said, pointedly.

“Well this time there's a little more at stake than just me going to jail.” He folded his arms and leaned casually against a wall, a gesture that also seemed very familiar.  “If the person I’m after figures out I’m on to them, it could go badly for the whole city.”

Judy frowned.  “That's very vague and ominous sounding.”

The fox shrugged.  “It’s all I can risk telling a cop.”

Judy shot him a look. “But you’d risk asking that same cop to procure documents for you illegally?”

The fox smirked.  It seemed to be his default facial expression.  “If that cop is you, then yes.”

“Why do you trust me?”  She wondered aloud. “We barely know each other and, in case you forgot, I’m supposed to  _ arrest you _ .”  Even Judy realized that, at this point, she was sounding like a bit of a broken record.

“You haven't yet.”  He repeated, sounding quieter and unsure.  “And this,” his ears stood a bit higher. “This is important.”

Judy blew out a breath.  “How important?”

The fox met her gaze levelly.  “Life or death.”

The words were out of her mouth before she even realized she had come to any kind of decision,  “Alright.”

As soon as she said it, she wished she could take it back.  This was a notorious criminal.  She was a police officer.  A situation like that shouldn’t be this complicated.

His eyes cocked.  “Really?  Just like that?”

Judy’s eyes flicked around the alley, suddenly unable to look him in the face.  “Maybe…” She bit her lip.  “Maybe, on occasion, I… sort of get where you’re coming from with this whole taking-justice-into-your-own-paws thing.”  The fox looked at her in surprise, and maybe a little admiration as well, but all that was lost on her.  “As a police officer, I’ve realized that sometimes, there’s only so much you can do.  Sometimes there are waiting periods, and red tape, and I  _ can’t _ just run out there and save the day, whatever it takes.  And maybe there should be someone out there who can.”  Her gaze was steely as she finally looked at him again.  “Maybe.”

The grin the fox offered was genuine this time, and maybe a bit shell shocked.  “Uh, wow.”  He said, rubbing at the back of his neck in a way that made him look more like a nervous teenager than a serious hero-type.  “Thank you.”

Judy nodded, trying to compose herself into something a little more professional.  “You’re welcome.”

He cleared his throat.  “Well, I’d love to stay and shoot the breeze a bit longer, but I’ve got things to do, people to beat up.”  A small groan drew his gaze back to the moose, still unconscious on the ground.  “And, uh, it looks like you need to take care of this guy anyway.”

Judy’s eyes widened in shock as she looked back down at her would-be mugger.  She had completely forgotten he was there.  “Oh,” she said, examining the moose for any signs that he was actually awake and had heard the whole conversation.  Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be any.  “Right.”

“The necropsy is for a Frederick Greymane.”  He threw over his shoulder.

She nodded.  “Frederick Greymane.  Got it.”  She nearly turned away from him when she thought of something.  “Wait,” she called after him.  “How will I get in contact with you?”

Judy could practically hear the fox’s smirk.  “You could always ask Nick Wilde about that.  I hear he knows everyone.”


	5. The one where the cop and the alter-ego exchange banter and backstories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nick seems to be channeling Ben Wyatt of all people, some tragic backstories are revealed, and the author realizes she can indeed make dumb animal puns. Oh and there's banter. Obviously.

_The one where the cop and the alter-ego exchange banter and backstories_

 

“Hey, if it isn’t Officer Fluff.”  Nick greeted at his apartment door.  “I’m getting the strangest sense of deja vu.”  He gave her a patronizing look.  “Are you here to yell at me again, because I gotta tell you, I’ve been staying as far away from you as I can, I promise.  So you don’t need to get your fluffy little tail in a twist.  I’ve learned my lesson.”  He crossed his arms, his saccharine sweet tone making him sound twice as condescending and sarcastic as usual.

Judy folded her arms and glared at him.  “I’m not here about the stalking thing, though don’t think that means I’ve forgotten about it.”

“Really?”  Nick asked, sounding a little too innocently curious for Judy to take it seriously.  “Then why are you here?”

Judy’s mouth thinned into a fine line.  “I’ve been lead to believe that you _do_ in fact, know how to contact the Red Phantom.”

“And let me guess,”  Nick interrupted with a wave of his hand.  “You think you have a reason to take me in now?  You’re here to finally crack that case of yours and throw both of us in jail so you can be cop of the month?”

“No,”  Judy said evenly.  “I’m here to help him.”

Nick smiled, and opened his door wider.  “Then come on in.”

She stepped through the threshold with an absent-mended frown on her face.  “I feel like I just passed a test.”

“That’s because you did.”  He said, closing the door behind her.  “I can’t just let every law abiding citizen know about my criminal connections.”

Judy laughed, and Nick looked oddly pleased with himself, a different kind of pleased with himself than he normally was.  “The necropsy for Mr. Greymane,” she held up the file, opened it, and began reading, “wolf, mid-forties, no criminal history, unless you count a couple of traffic tickets, cause of death was ruled as an heart attack.”  She shut the file.  “I don’t see what your friend would want with this, but I would appreciate some answers, seeing as how I put my job on the line.”  She cocked a brow.  “And since you don’t know me that well, I’ll just tell you that me doing that is a _really_ big deal.”

Nick chuckled.  “I believe you, Carrots.”

Her hands came to rest at her hips.  “So?” She asked impatiently.  “Why the interest in that specific file?”

The fox sighed.  “It wasn’t a heart attack.”

“What?”

“The wolf’s death wasn’t caused by a heart attack.”  He repeated, staring at her warily.  “Someone’s been testing out a toxin on predators all around the city, and they have enough power to cover it all up once it’s over.”  His ears twitched.  “The- uh- Phantom has been onto them for a while now, but the more evidence he collects, the more attention he’s drawing.  I guess he wanted to stay off their radar as much as possible.”

Judy’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly.

Nick shrugged.  “You wanted an explanation.  That’s the gist of it.”

“What you’re talking about,”  Judy breathed, feeling her chest constrict as she considered the implications of what he was suggesting.  “Is some kind of government conspiracy.”

“I’ll be Moolder if you’ll be Gully.”  He offered, taking the file from her hand.

Judy didn’t say anything, the words not quite sinking into her head.  A conspiracy.  A government conspiracy that involved poisoning predators and the covering it all up like it had never happened.

Nick looked at her, sympathy flashing in his eyes.  “Let’s get coffee.”

Judy’s head snapped up at the unexpected invitation.  “Uh…”

“Yeah,”  Nick said, putting his paws on her shoulders and steering her out the door.  “You seem like you could use some coffee.”

\-------------------

“So,” Nick took a sip of his coffee an expectant expression on his face.  “You’re the first bunny cop.”  It wasn't a question.  He knew very well what she was.  “What on _Earth_ possessed you to do _that_?”

Judy’s ears flattened as she prepared to tell him exactly what she thought of his question, when she noticed his teasing, almost gentle smile.  Her ears perked up again, and she settled back into her seat, taking a deep breath of the slightly bitter smell of freshly brewed coffee, catching just the slightest hint of something spicy.  Nick, probably.  The scent fit with him somehow.  Funny that she had never noticed.

Probably because she was too busy yelling at him the last few times.

“I’ve always wanted to be a police officer,” she explained, frowning slightly and making eye contact with her cup, like she could see her younger self, all dressed up as a cop, ready, even then, to try to make the world better.  She smiled then, in spite of herself. “Even after I found out how hard it would be, I still wanted it more than anything.  I’m not sure why.”  Her mouth parted in a smile that was somehow a little self deprecating but also smug.  “I’ve been told that I don't know when to quit.”

Nick’s face was carefully expressionless as he regarded her.  Judy’s smile slipped.  “What?”

Nick made an absent minded sound. “What?”

“You’re looking at me funny.”  She pointed out, fiddling with her cup because she didn't quite know what to do with her hands.

He looked away quickly. “No I’m not.”  His voice was a bit higher, strained sounding.  He cleared his throat and returned his gaze to her. “It’s just,” he looked down again. “I guess I wish I could have been more like you.”

Judy flushed, but her eyebrows pinched in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Nick studied her for a nearly unbearable amount of time, and the rabbit got the distinct impression that he had already revealed more than he had meant to.

“I’ve spent my entire life living up to everyone else’s expectations.” He finally said.  “I’ve never tried to be anything but the sly fox everyone expects me to be.  I’ve never done anything really worthwhile.”

“That's not true,” Judy protested.  “You own your own business.”

Nick scoffed.  “Yeah, because owning a preds only nightclub in a sleazy part of town is what everyone wants to be known for.”

Judy made a soft noise of disagreement. “No, but I think it’s great.”  Nick raised a skeptical brow. “I do.”  She insisted.  “If working at the ZPD has taught me anything, it’s that there's still a prejudice against predators. There are clubs around the city that don't let preds in for ‘safety’ reasons.” She rolled her eyes. “It must be nice for preds to have a place to go where they don't have to worry about that kind of thing.  It’s noble.”

The fox chuckled at that. “It’s sweet you think so highly of me, Carrots, but I only did it because I thought the money would be good.”

Judy laughed. “Was it?”

He grinned.  “Absolutely.”

"So I might have looked you up."  Judy said too casually, playing with a packet of sugar on the table with one paw.

Nick shook his head, not bothering to hide his smile.  "I figured you would, Carrots."

She met his eyes.  "You only opened Wild Times two years ago."

"And it's really taken off since, hasn't it?"  He said with false innocence, then he rolled his eyes.  "But that's not what you're wondering about."

Judy worried at her lip, trying to gauge his reactions.  "No," she agreed slowly. "It's not."

"Just ask, Fluff."  He sounded more amused than exasperated, which she took as a fairly good sign.

Judy took a visibly deep breath, and settled more fully into her seat.  "You were a con artist."  She said without any preamble.

Nick shrugged.  "I think the operative word in that phrase is 'artist.'"

Judy leaned forward on her elbows, expression earnest.  "I guess," she said, looking up at his face like she could read all of his past in it. "I'm wondering why."

The fox raised a brow.  "Why I was a con?"

"Why you stopped being a con."  She corrected, sitting back, still studying him with a disconcertingly shrewd eye.  It made his stomach tighten and his breath constrict, the way she looked at him then.  He felt known.  Understood.  It scared the hell out of him.  He wanted more.

"My mom died two years ago."  He said, voice flat, ears drooping.  "She- well, she always thought I could do more with my life.  She believed in me, and while she was alive, I let her down."  He shook his head, his eyes darting away. "I just wanted to do something to make her proud."

Nick started at the warm weight on his paw, only to see one of Judy's resting there.  His throat squeezed. "Nick," she whispered, sounding heartbroken on his behalf.  "I'm so sorry."  She squeezed his paw. "But she would be so, so proud of you."

"I was a street away when she died."  His voice was strained, but his eyes remained dry.  He wasn't sure he could live down crying in front of her.  "I was hustling some schmuck out of fifty bucks, and she was walking down the streets at night.  Alone."  He shook his head. "I should have been with her."

"What happened?"

"She was trying to break up a fight, if you can believe it."  He looked off into space, remembering the crowd surrounding her, the flash of ambulance lights, the blood.  "She was a lot tougher than she looked, my mother, and she tried to break up a fight.  Got a knife in the stomach for her trouble."  even after two years, the bitterness in his voice sounded raw and fresh.  "And they got away with it." Nick pulled back, abruptly aware of how much he had just revealed.  He straightened his tie and forced a grin.  "Never had much faith in the cops after that, I'm afraid.  No offense, Fluff, but you know-"

"Nick." She cut him off.  "I'm glad you told me."

Nick took a breath, feeling lighter than he had in two years. "You know, Fluff," he said with a softer, more genuine smile that she quickly returned.  "I think I might be too."


	6. The one where they go to a fancy party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nick is still battling a crush and the forces of evil, Judy shows everyone once and for all that she isn't a damsel in distress, and the author wonders if she can still call these chapters drabbles if they're getting longer.
> 
> Also, yes, fancy party, because who doesn't love an excuse to make your heroes fight crime in evening wear?

_The one where they go to a fancy party_

 

Somehow, coffee with Nick became a thing because before she knows it, they’re doing it all the time.  Judy doesn’t know if it’s their shared secret, or if they actually had more in common than anyone would have thought, but they just… click.  He compliments her and balances her out at the same time, and Judy has never had such a close friend before.

She can take all his barbs and quips in good humor now, and they work really well together.

Like, really well.

She even found herself telling him he’d make a pretty good cop if he ever closed up shop at his nightclub.  Even though he’d acted offended by the very idea, Judy liked to think there was something in his voice that said how the idea sort of appealed to him.  Or maybe he just liked to be complemented.

After a while, he became something close to the best friend she had in Zootopia, so Judy liked to think she knew him pretty well.  But when she came to the Mayor’s Gala, dressed in a dress so nice, she was certain she was going to ruin it at some point in the night, she had to do a double take when she saw Nick Wilde, dressed to the nines himself, mingling with the guests with a smile on his face.  She waved at him when he caught sight of her, and a big smile spread across his face immediately.  He nodded at the mammal he had been in conversation with, and made a beeline for Judy.

“What are you doing here?”  She asked when they had met each other halfway.  “I didn't think this would be your kind of scene.”  Her grin was so big at the surprise of seeing him that it hurt her cheeks.

Nick rolled his eyes.  “Oh it’s not,” he agreed.  “I just knew you would be here and figured you would be bored out of you mind if I didn't come take pity on you.”

Judy shot him a knowing look and Nick held up his hands in surrender.  “Alright, fine.”  He said with a smirk.  “I’m here for some… networking opportunities.”

Judy rolled her eyes.  “Alright, Slick.  You don't have to go into detail if you don't want to.”   She stepped closer, using his arm to anchor herself so she didn't get swept away by the bigger mammals not paying attention to the small rabbit.  Big mammals were like that sometimes, thinking they're entitled to the right of way and everyone else should move.  Judy was used to it, and Nick must have been too, because her didn't even seem to be aware of pulling her closer to him, and out of the way of a rhino.  Judy grinned.  “I’m glad you're here.”

Nick blinked.  Swallowed.  He seemed shocked by the admission, shocked and… something else.  Judy couldn't read the strange emotion that flickered across her face.  “Good,” he said, sounding strained.  “I’m glad you’re- uh- glad.” He floundered, then took a breath and seemed to compose himself.  “Hey, you look great.”  His voice oozed all of the fake charm she had grown used to, but his face betrayed  a more genuine admiration.

She rolled her eyes.  “Thanks, Nick.  You clean up pretty alright yourself.”

Nick jumped at the opening into more familiar territory.  “Oh, just pretty alright?”  He ribbed.  “I’m offended if the nicest thing you have to say about all of this,” he gestured at himself. “Is ‘pretty alright.’”

Judy’s eyes wrinkled with another smile, and she turned to stand beside him instead of in front of him, hand still on his arm.  There would be no winning this conversation, she knew from experience.  She was about to start up a conversation about the truly ridiculous amount of food at this thing, a topic Nick definitely would have a few things to say about, when he cleared his throat.  Judy looked up at him, her head cocked to one side in curiosity.

“Judy,” he began, and she stepped in a little closer, he never called her Judy.  “I-” he cut himself off, then looked away. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.  A few somethings actually and-”

He was cut off by Mayor Lionheart tapping on a microphone.  “Welcome, one and all, and thank you for coming.”  He declared with a flourish only politicians seem able to pull off.

Judy shot Nick an apologetic look.  “Sorry,” she whispered, leaning into him. “We’ll talk later?”

Nick’s arm went to her waist without a thought, keeping her against him and he nodded.  “Sure, later.”

Judy turned away, satisfied, listening to the speech with ears turned fully forward.  She listened as the Mayor droned on and on.  The Gala was more of a fancy fundraiser for the coming election than anything else, so he had invited all the public servants to stay in their good graces, and he invited anyone above a certain pay grade to donate to his campaign.  Not that he said that in his speech, of course, but things politicians do for money and votes could be remarkably transparent.

Nick, on the other hand, seemed strangely on edge, and his tail downright bristled when he caught sight of the Assistant Mayor, talking quietly on the phone with someone.  Judy shot him a strange look, concern on her face, and Nick realized he had been quietly growling under his breath.  It wasn't the kind of things her enormous bunny ears would miss.

His paw stroked down her arm, then back up again in something that was meant to be a reassuring gesture, but it only served to highlight the intimate position they had unknowingly put themselves in, and both leaned away almost simultaneously, a flush spreading across Judy’s face. They had never really been that close for so long before.  They were friends, sure, but while Judy was a cuddler by nature (growing up with two hundred siblings would do that to a bunny), Nick was more prickly.  He barely tolerated hugs, let alone casual touches, and there was something less than causal in the way they had been standing.

Nick looked down at her, a flush on his own face.  “I,” he said lowly.  He never got further than that.

“Nobody move!”  An angry voice ordered, and screams immediately followed as everyone whirled around to see some very big mammals with some very big guns.

Nick got in front of Judy, holding her back with an arm.  Judy huffed in annoyance and tried to get past him.

Gunshots shattered the air around them, and pandemonium broke out.

Judy made it two steps before Nick grabbed at her wrist.

“Get down!” He called, trying to tug Judy away from the action.

“You get down!” She retorted, glaring. “I’m the police officer, you're the civilian.”

“You're also tiny,” Nick snapped, sounding more furious than Judy had ever heard him. “Do you know what one of those bullets could do to you?” There was a strange sort of fire in his eyes that made Judy pause.

“Oh what do you care?” It wasn't a fair thing to say to him, not anymore, but she was more concerned with the civilians in the center of the room, all of them in danger as the gang of mammals began to gather up hostages.  She tried to wrench out of his grip but he held firm, watching her like he was certain she was about to do something stupid.  And maybe she was, but it wasn't up to him to decide what she could and couldn't do.

“I care, Fluff.” Nick muttered darkly, grip tightening around her wrist as he started to drag her to safety. “I care plenty.”

Judy’s head whipped around when another gunshot fired. There were more screams, a thump.  She grit her teeth. “I don't have time for this.”

And then she kicked him in the knee.

Nick gave a surprised “oomph” and went down hard.  Judy didn't even stop to apologize before she started running toward the fray.  She ignored Nick’s desperate calls for her to _get the hell back here_ , but she completely missed the way he scrambled up and away from the fight as fast as his legs would carry him.

Many mammals had much the same idea, and many headed for the doors.

Another shot rang out and Judy took her stun gun out of her clutch, thanking every deity she knew for the fact that she had come prepared.  After everything that had happened the last couple of weeks, Judy had decided it was better to be over prepared, and packed her bag accordingly.

She took cover behind a large chair, watching as the mammals (a hippo, two rhinos, a giraffe, and was that a moose?) took control of the room.

“Everyone shut up!” The giraffe yelled, waving his gun threateningly.  “Or the next bullet really will kill someone.”  Everyone went silent and Judy stared with horror at the poor rhino who had nearly stepped on her earlier, on the ground, clutching his bleeding leg.  

One of the gun toting rhinos chuckled.  “Thank you.”  She said, condescendingly.  “Now, if everyone’s ready, we’ll begin.”  At her nod, the rest of the gang went to guard the doors, only to stop in surprise as their ringleader toppled to the floor, unconscious.

“I’d really prefer you didn't.”  A gravel voice said.  Everyone swivelled around to see the Red Phantom standing in the middle of the ballroom still pointing a tranq gun at the rhino.

And then all hell. Broke loose.  The gang all abandoned their posts, going after the vigilante instead.  Judy saw her chance, and leaped at the closest threat, stunning him from behind.  The hippo.

She bounded forward, hardly even thinking as she made her next move, and jumped on the back of the moose, squeezing her arms around his neck to cut off air to his windpipe.  The moose thrashed, bellowing his rage, as Judy struggled to keep hold.  It wasn't until she had been thrown off his neck and hit the ground hard that she realized that trying to choke the huge mammal was a horrible mistake.

The moose scooped up her dazed form, and she thrashed in his grip until she felt the press of cool metal against her temple.  “Drop your gun.”  The moose called.  “Or the bunny dies.”

The Red Phantom turned around, eyes wide with alarm beneath his mask.  When he spotted Judy,  his grip on his gun went slack, clattering to the ground.  Judy stared at him in surprise.  Why had he given up so easily?

She looked around, trying to gage the situation.  Thankfully, most civilians had made it out in the confusion, including the mayor, although Bellwether was cowering against a wall with a few other sheep.  If she acted now, not a lot of people would be at risk.  And it looked like the Phantom had somehow taken down the other rhino.

The moose lifted Judy up by her neck until she was dangling.  In a flash of inspiration, she brought her foot down hard in a strategic area.  The moose doubled over and dropped her.  Judy rolled away, grabbed the abandoned tranq gun, and fired three shots directly into the moose’s heart.  He went down instantly.

When she looked up again, the Phantom had turned away from her, focussing his attention on the remaining giraffe.

Judy took aim and fired.  The giraffe stumbled and fell, leaving the fox to gape at her.  Then he smirked.

“Not bad for a damsel in distress type.”

She glared. “I am _not_ a damsel in distress.”

The fox snorted.  “Right. And you didn't just have a gun to your head.”

Judy crossed her arms. “I can handle myself just fine,” she gestured around her at the mammals she had taken down.  “Clearly.”

“Clearly.”  He echoed, sounding like he didn't believe it at all.  He took a deep breath. “He was going to kill you.”

“But he didn't,” Judy insisted.

The vigilante heaved a long suffering sigh. “You could just say thank you.”

Judy looked away, then back at him, resolved. “Thank you.”  She said sincerely.

Sirens could be heard outside and the fox sighed.  “Here comes the cavalry.”  He looked around then grinned. “See you around, Hopps.  And say hi to our mutual friend for me.”

Her eyes widened in horror at his retreating back. “Oh sweet cheese and crackers.  Nick!”  She pulled out her cell phone, dialing his number as the fox disappeared once again.

Nick picked up on the second ring. “Judy?”  He sounded out of breath.  “Judy are you alright?”

“Yes,” she said with palpable relief. “I’m fine, where are you?”

“I knew you were gonna do something stupid, so I found you back up.”  Nick said, just as Chief Bogo came barging into the ballroom.

Judy had to hang up pretty quickly after that.

\----------------------

“Well, well, well.” A sheep purred to the ram next to her.  “Did you see that?”

The ram grunted. “What? The Red Phantom ruining our plans again?  Yeah I saw that.”

She smiled, unsettlingly sweet. "He didn't ruin our plan as much as you think he did."

He snorted. "He's not dead, is he? That puts a bit of a wrench in everything."

The sheep rolled her eyes. “This is why I’m the brains of the operation.”

The ram bristled.  “I’m a chemist.” He retorted.

“You’re _brain dead_ if you can't see what I’m getting at here.”  She snapped.  At the ram’s blank expression, she sighed heavily. “It would appear,” she said, very slowly. “That our hero cares a great deal about what happens to a certain bunny officer.”  She indicated to Judy with a slight dip of her head.

The ram’s eyes widened in understanding.  “You don't say.”  He looked over at the rabbit with a new fascination.  Judy was talking very seriously with Chief Bogo, completely oblivious to the attention.  “Isn't that interesting.”


	7. The one where the love interest is kidnapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the author wonders why she likes to beat up on Judy. Meanwhile, Judy gets sick of being beat up on and kicks ass. Oh, and Nick's there. And the author guesses he's kind of important.

_ The one where the love interest is kidnapped _

To say Judy Hopps was annoyed would be an understatement.  Nothing about her day had gone right, from spilling coffee, to getting a serious earful from Chief Bogo for an incident that may or  _ may not  _ have involved an angry squirrel and a freezer.  All in all, she had been having a fairly bad day, and all she wanted to do was go home.  She wasn't even sure she had the energy to meet Nick after work, even though he had seemed pretty adamant about telling her something.   
  
So this whole "getting kidnapped... again” situation was really the last thing she needed.  Seriously.   
  
Judy struggled against the pole she had been handcuffed to  _ with her own handcuffs _ as though the mammals who took her wanted to add insult to injury.  She took a deep breath, clenching her jaw.   
  
"Okay," she muttered, shifting again to get her paws closer to her back pocket. "Focus.  Just gotta focus.  I can get out of here."  Her gaze darted around the empty space before her. It looked a lot like an empty warehouse which was oddly predictable, if Judy were in the mood to notice that kind of thing.   


“Finally,” a sweet, slightly squeaky voice said, the sound coming from just behind her.  “I was afraid you were going to miss all the fun.”

Judy’s head snapped up to search for the speaker so quickly, that she nearly wrenched her neck with the effort.  “Assistant Mayor Bellwether?”  She asked, disbelief and horror in her voice.

The sheep smirked. “Hi bunny.”

* * *

Nick didn't want to say he was panicking.  Judy was more than an hour late, sure, but that didn't mean much, did it?  She probably had gotten caught up at work and hadn't been able to let him know.  Or maybe she had forgotten about this altogether.  There were plenty of logical explanations for Nick to not panic.

But Nick was sort of panicking anyway.

Judy was never one to forget something, and although she was known to get caught up at work, she always called to cancel, sounding guilty and apologizing ten times before he could hang up.  So no matter how many logical explanations Nick came up with, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.  Really wrong.  The kind of wrong that raised his hackles.

So Nick went to Judy’s apartment to check on her.  He figured she might not be there, but it was as good as any place to start.

“Judy?” He called, knocking on the door.  “Judy? You in there?”

When there was no answer, he quickly picked the lock.  Her apartment was empty.

Nick’s eyes scanned carefully for any clue as to where she could be, and fell on a piece of paper on the ground.  It was small, no bigger than the size of a postcard, and when Nick bent to pick it up, he saw writing on the back of it.

_ Lose something fox? _

His blood ran cold as he flipped over the paper, revealing a picture of Judy, her arms handcuffed to a pole, unconscious, and looking a little worse for wear.  So she’d put up a fight.  Of course she did.

Stuffing the photo in his pocket, Nick stalked to the door.  It looked like Bellwether had finally decided to declare war on him.  Fine.  If this is how she wanted to play it, he was going to bring his entire arsenal against her.

He just had to make a few stops first.

* * *

 

“So let me get this straight.”  Judy said slowly, mostly to buy herself as much time as possible.  “You think that if you kidnap me, you can lure the Red Phantom into a trap, and then proceed with your evil plan to poison all the predators in Zootopia?”

Bellwether shrugged.  “Yeah, pretty much.”

“He’s not going to come,” Judy protested.  “He barely even knows me.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Bellwether simpered.  “Of course he’ll come.  I saw his face that night at the Gala.”   She rolled her eyes.  “Or, at least, I saw some of his face.” Her simper turned into a sneer.  “So concerned for the little bunny.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look that panicked before.”  She giggled, an unnaturally sweet sound. “And trust me, I’ve given him  _ plenty _ of reasons to panic in the past.” The sheep cocked her head, studying the rabbit.  “I would say it was almost sweet if it weren’t so disgusting.  A fox and a bunny.  You’re a regular pair of star crossed lovers.” Bellwether grinned, sweet and malicious all at once.  “But then, star crossed lovers never have much of a happy ending do they?”

Judy’s head swam with all the information, and she latched onto the first bit she could make sense out of.  “So you have a history with him?” The sheep tensed, so Judy pressed on.  “What did he do to make you hate him this much?”

Bellwether shook her head, looking at Judy like she was particularly stupid. “He spoiled my plans, Judy.  Over and over again.  He tries to expose me  _ all the time _ .”  With every word, the sheep sounded more and more angry.

“Your plan to murder every predator in Zootopia?”  Judy asked.  She needed to figure out what else Bellwether had planned because whatever it was, it couldn’t be good.  Judy had to warn someone.  And escape.  Escaping was pretty high on her to-do list at the moment.

The sheep scoffed, her wool on top of her head bouncing with the movement. “I don't want to  _ kill _ all the predators in Zootopia.”

Judy frowned. “Then what do you want?”

“I would think that was obvious,” Bellwether said in her sweet, high pitched voice. “I want them to live in fear.”

“Of you?” Judy slowly maneuvered her arms, careful not to draw too much attention to her movements.  She knew Bellwether would have taken the key, the sheep clearly wasn’t stupid, but she might have something she could work with in her pocket.

“Of prey,” Bellwether snapped, and Judy hoped she was too wrapped up in her monologue to notice her squirming. “Predators have lived on top for far too long.  They step on us little guys to get what they want.  They have the potential to  _ kill _ any one of us.  With their claws and teeth, how are any of them allowed in civilized society, huh?” The sheep was pacing around the pole Judy was handcuffed to, digging hooves into her wool and pulling, giving herself the look of someone unhinged. “I have been stepped on and threatened for  _ years _ .  I know you have too, Judy.” Bellwether gave her a pitying look. “I thought you would get it.  I thought you and I might have something in common.”

Judy blanched. “I’m nothing like you.”

Bellwether cocked her head. “Are you not?”  She took a slow step toward her and Judy tensed. “So you didn't work your tail off to get where you are, only to be torn down because everyone else decided you weren't good enough?”  An image of a meter maid uniform flashed unbidden in Judy’s mind. Bellwether continued her advance. “Never been threatened by some predator who thought they could push you around because you were meek little prey?”  Judy thought of Gideon Grey and his claws slashing against her cheek.  The memory must have shown on her face because Bellwether smirked, sensing that she had been right.  The sheep stopped inches from her.  “I am tired of being stepped on.” She hissed. “Aren't you?”

Judy shook her head. “You're insane.”

Bellwether sighed as she paced around the pole, footsteps making a clacking sound against the pavement.  “It’s a shame.  I really did like you.”

Panic clawed its way up Judy’s throat.  She was running out of time.  “What are you going to do to me?”

“What me?” Bellwether asked innocently as she knocked on the door of the warehouse.  “Nothing, nothing.”  Her smile was a terrible thing to see.  “I prefer to keep my hooves clean, you know.  I hate making a mess.”

Judy’s eye caught on an old, rusty paperclip lying right next to her boot and nearly cried out in triumph when she heard Bellwether laugh.  Judy’s ears lowered.

“You won't have to bother with that,” she said, brandishing a key in her hoof. “I intend on letting you go in a minute.”

“Letting me go?”  Judy asked, voice laced with suspicion.

Bellwether smiled sweetly.  “Only in the broadest sense of the term.”  She clicked her hooves and a door immediately opened to her right.  A horrible growling came from just beyond the doorway and Judy's ears flattened against her skull.  Her nose twitched.  

“Bunnies are fast, aren't they?”  Bellwether asked, conversationally.  “That's good.”  Judy glared but Bellwether only offered her a tight lipped smile.  “It'll give him something to hunt.”

* * *

“Hurry  _ up _ , Honey.”  Nick yelled as he jerked the van into a different lane, nearly wrecking it in the process.  Finnick roared at him from the back to  _ watch the fucking road _ and Honey squealed as she and her laptop nearly slammed into the side of the car.

“I'm working on it.”  She said in a nervous sing song, typing frantically.

“Well work  _ faster _ ,” Nick snapped, jerking the van this way and that as he weaved through the freeway traffic.

“I'm  _ trying _ ,” she retorted through gritted teeth.  Then, a few seconds later, she cried out, delighted. “I got it!  I got it!”  She consulted her laptop for a split second then leaned forward to yell into Nick’s ear. “Get off here.”

Nick cut across several lanes of traffic to get to the exit, earning another angry rebuff from Finnick.  “If you wreck my van, Bellwether’s gonna be the least of your worries.”

Nick glared, but never once did he take his eyes off the road. “Shut up.”

Honey grinned.  “This is fun.”

Finnick gave her a look. “You're nuts.”

The badger squirmed in her seat like a five year old, grin still fixed on her face. “It comes with the territory of being a conspiracy theo- No Nick turn right!”  Nick slammed on the brakes, jolting everyone forward. Ignoring her friend’s terrible driving, she looked back at Finnick, who looked more pissed off than Honey had ever seen him.  And she always thought he had an angry looking face.  “Conspiracy theorist.”  She finished.

“Nuts.”  Finnick repeated, rolling his eyes.  “Totally nuts.”

* * *

“Well,” Bellwether said brightly as she dropped the key next to Judy, who scrambled to reach it. “I hate to monologue and run, but I have a rule about being at the scene of a crime, and this one is gonna be bi-”  Judy’s fist connected with Bellwether’s nose, cutting off the rest of her sentence.  She scrambled to her feet and shot off across the warehouse, throwing herself against the door there.  Locked.  And not only locked, Judy noticed with chagrin, possibly barred from the outside. Now keenly aware that her only exit seemed to be blocked by some kind of growling mad-mammal who apparently wanted to hunt her, she took a deep breath, and reminded herself to focus.  No building this large would only have two exits, right?  There had to be another way out.  There had to be.

Judy looked back to see Bellwether clutching her bleeding nose, shrieking something about Judy being ripped apart.  And that's when she saw what had been hiding in the doorway.  A jaguar, down on all fours, growling and snapping at the three rams it took to force him into the room.  He looked… savage.

Judy didn't need to see more.  She ran to the steel mesh steps that lead up to the warehouse’s different levels.  Judy wasn't sure what it was used for before it became an evil lair, but she found she didn't much care at the moment.  Now, it was her only means of escape. 

A bellowed cry rushed at her from her left and Judy only just had time to react.  One of the rams had broken off from the rest, head lowered as he charged her to inflict the most damage.  Judy jumped, then used his head as a springboard, landing several feet away and watched as his head hit the wall, denting it.  He snarled in rage, and whirled on her, only to be brought up short by his boss yelling.

“Oh never mind, you idiots. Leave her!”  Bellwether motioned to the now open door.  “The predator can finish this.”  Judy could practically feel the smugness coming off the Assistant Mayor.  “She's got nowhere to go.”

Without thinking it through, Judy switched direction and  _ ran _ , faster than she ever had before in her life.  She vaulted over the Assistant Mayor and her lackeys, and, before they knew what she was doing, she shoved them into the room entirely with a well placed kick.  She had knocked out a rhino in the Academy.  This was nothing.

And then she slammed the door shut and locked it, leaving the sheep, rams, and jaguar inside.  Breathing heavily, she leaned her forehead against the door for a few moments.  Then her ears twitched as she picked up on breathing that was not her own.  Groaning, she slowly raised her head and saw two very surprised looking moose and another ram staring at her open mouthed.

Judy blinked. “Great.”  She said, straightening up.  “And here I thought this was going to be easy.”

* * *

 

Nick had barely parked the van before he was out of it, ready to run into the warehouse as quickly as he could.

“Wait,” Finnick bellowed, grabbing Nick’s arm and spinning him around to face him.  The taller fox glared through his mask but Finnick was unmoved. “We can't just run in there. We need a plan.”

“I have a plan,” Nick retorted. “And it's: Run in there and save the day.”

Finnick snorted, but Honey’s voice interrupted whatever he was about to say.  “Um, it looks like Officer Hopps already did the saving the day thing.”

Nick’s eyes widened, and he spun around to see a very bruised, very annoyed looking Judy Hopps limping toward him.

Before he was quite aware of what he was doing, Nick was already at her side.

“What the hell are you doing here?”  Judy asked, as Nick helped her the rest of the way to the van.

“Um, rescuing you?”  He said, sounding unsure.

Judy scoffed.  “Where were you twenty minutes ago?”  Nick opened his mouth to answer, but Judy waved him off. “Never mind, we need to go.  They could still come out, and they've got this jaguar in there with them, Nick.  I've never seen anything like it.”  She spoke fast as she hobbled as quickly as she could to open the van door, Nick had been right behind her until she said his name. Judy looked back at him with impatience.  “What's wrong?  We have to get a move on.”

“Wh-” Nick cleared his throat. “What did you just call me?”

Judy pursed her lips. “Nick,” she repeated, voice full of warning.  “Don't insult my intelligence.  Just get in the car.”

Nick blinked, then hurried to the driver's seat, and not a moment too soon.  The main door to the warehouse flew open, and a jaguar came running at them on all fours,gaining with impressive speed.  In one fluid leap, he was on the roof of the van.

“What the fu-” Finnick yelled.

“Drive!” Judy screamed, cutting him off.

Nick slammed on the gas so hard, the entire van seemed to rear up before shooting off and away, knocking the savage jaguar off, and forcing him to roll to the ground.  By the time he had gotten his bearings back, the van was already a spot in the distance.  The jaguar huffed, and stalked off to find easier prey.

* * *

“So…” Nick said casually, after they had gotten to safety, his mask now off.  “You figured it out.”

Judy huffed a laugh.  “Like you didn't want me to.”

The fox shot her a concerned look. “Are you okay?”

She nodded.  “Trust me, I gave far worse than I got in there.”

Nick chuckled.  “I believe it.”

“Oh god,” Finnick grumbled.

“So cute, right?”  Honey sighed.

Nick growled.  “Get out of the van.”

Finnick’s mouth fell open but before he could start a tirade about the indignity of being kicked out of  _ his own van _ , Honey started dragging him out.  “Sure thing, boss.”  She chirped, and slammed the car door before Finnick could say a thing.

Judy turned to look at Nick, brow raised.  “Boss?”  She repeated with a smile.

Nick groaned.  “She, uh, might be under the impression that I'm letting her on the team?”

“You have a team?”

“Not until tonight, apparently.”  Nick sighed.  “Finnick and Honey have helped me out here and there with the Red Phantom, but I didn't want to involve them too much, you know?”

Judy smiled softly. “You wanted to keep them safe?”  She guessed.

“That,” Nick agreed. “And if I let Honey help full time, I wouldn't have needed a source inside the police.”  His ears lowered a tiny bit.  “Or, at least, I wouldn't have needed to visit that source as often.”

Judy snorted.  “You're being frighteningly honest tonight, Wilde.”

“I don't really see a reason to hold back anymore, Hopps.”

“No one at the precinct is going to believe this.”  Judy shut her eyes against the headache that threatened to pound in her skull at the thought of all the mess and explaining she would have to put up with.

“No, probably not.”  Nick agreed.

“Bellwether’s going to cover everything up.”  She said with a horrible sort of certainty.  Marching into the precinct to report being kidnapped by the Assistant Mayor in an attempt to draw out and kill a vigilante would not only sound completely insane, there would likely be no evidence left to support her story by the time backup arrived.  Calling for backup herself would solve that problem, she reasoned, but she didn't really know how deep this went.  Who Bellwether had recruited to her side.  With a sinking, sick feeling, Judy realized she didn't know who she could trust anymore.  If she called for backup, if she tried to report this, who's to say the evidence wouldn't go missing?  Or that it wouldn't end up completely discrediting Judy herself?

“Not the first time.”  Nick said quietly, pulling her from her thoughts.

“I can't believe she's going to get away with all this, Nick.”  Her voice was low and numb with shock.   “She's going to do so much damage to Zootopia before anyone can prove what she's up to.”

“She won't.”  Judy looked up, her ears shooting up in surprise at the fierceness in Nick's voice. “She won't because we're not going to let her.”

Judy shot him a tentative smile. “We?”

Nick looked embarrassed for a split second before his expression melted into an all too familiar smirk. “What? Like you're gonna let this go, Fluff?”

Judy laughed. “No, I guess you're right.”  She shot him a sidelong look. “But if you're asking me to dress up and be your little sidekick, you've got another thing coming, Slick.”  Nick chuckled, and shook his head at that. She narrowed her eyes. “I'm nobody's sidekick.”

Carefully, almost too cautiously, Nick took her paw in his and squeezed it.  “I’m proposing a completely equal partnership here, Carrots.”  He said, his voice slightly softer than it had been a minute before.  Judy caught his eye and grinned, earning herself a slow smile from him before he blinked hard and glanced away, slipping his paw out of hers in the same motion.  “If you want.”  The words seemed to chase themselves out of his mouth.  Judy’s grin widened.

She looked off to the side and narrowed her eyes in mock concentration. “Do I want to partner up with you on your vigilante quest for justice?”  Her expression cleared when she met his (maybe slightly anxious) gaze, and she broke out into another sunny smile. “Yes.  Yes, I think I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Look who finally posted another chapter! XD sorry it took so long, I always intended on finishing this, but it just took me a lot longer than I thought to get back to writing this.
> 
> I hope you liked this last chapter. Originally, I had planned for the story to go a completely different way, and there was going to be a big reveal, and tears, and people shooting at each other. But honestly, this feels like a better ending to the story.
> 
> However, I did promise one more chapter, so if anyone is interested, I may post an epilogue? What do you think?
> 
> Anyway, thank you so much for all your support! I'll see you in the next one.  
> \- Shelby


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